Early American Women's Role In Colonial Society

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Women represent that part of American History that was not payed that much attention too as their lives were mainly connected with their families and their responsibilities about household. Women helped creating and setting the colonial societies through their contribution. Their beneficence was connected with their marriage. Thus, based on the name of her husband name and legal status, her economic prestige and her responsibilities regarding her family and community would change. For instance, for an eighteenth century woman, no matter white, black, married, unmarried, Native American or not, work consisted on household, taking care of their family member and working as a nurse or teacher. Women back than had a different definition …show more content…
Midwives used to assist in babies. They did not have the proper knowledge to do this job because they learned how to deliver babies by watching other midwives. Beside their lack of a proper education, women learned how to develop this skill into a profession and profit. In that time every facet that was referred to a children birth, education and care was connected with the woman companionship. On the other hand, there were male doctors who were specialized to assist a birth, but it was considered a taboo for a woman of that time to give birth on a presence of a male doctor. One historian has noted: “Most early American women literally gave birth in the arms, or on the laps of their neighbors”. Among the professions, there were also women nurses. They mainly assisted in a childbirth and used to take care of people with different diseases. Nurses were not payed as good as midwives, but everyone needed one. Unfortunately, nurses worked in severe conditions and were in contact with numerous germs and they were often in danger of illness. They were many cases that woman who worked, particularly low sorts women, who got sick and could not work anymore. To assist them there were the so called almshouses, that were built to offer shelter to these women who were sick and had no family members to take care of them. Also woman who were pregnant and eldered could demand to get shelter in an …show more content…
First, teaching was considered as a career choice and woman who worked as teachers were seen as very powerful women. This was connected with the fact that the eighteenth century brought an interest in education and Americans started to consider education as a tool of empowerment. Hence, women taught in charity schools and elite private academics, grammar, arithmetic, geography and history. Second, when it comes to expressing artistic skills and turning them into a revenue, women were not encouraged, neither supported. A very small number of women could support themselves from writing and painting. Still they were successful examples of women who could financially support their family such as Henrietta Johnston who was a painter and the first professional woman
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